Hogwarts Reads 'The Darkness Within'
by scrambledark
Summary: ADOPTED from saffarinda, based off of Kurinoone's 'The Darkness Within' trilogy. Umbridge finds the books and reads them to Hogwarts. Takes place before the trilogy, how do they react?
1. Prologue: The Note

**AN: The 1****st**** two chapters were by **_**saffarinda**_**, I just adopted this. My updates may not be regular, I am terribly sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor did I write the **_**Darkness Within.**_

Dolores Umbridge sat in her pink palace (her office) scratching her hard jaw with one stubby finger. 'What I need, is a plan to corrupt the Potter boy and his so-called friends' Dolores sneered to herself; just thinking about that Potter boy just bristled her. She would try to punish him, but with a father as an Auror and a mother as the potions professor, Dolores couldn't punish him without the boy running to his parents, whining, and getting her demoted from Senior under-secretary to a place where the closest they come to seeing minister fudge is-

She was cut off from her musings by a blinding bright flash and a heavy _thunk_. Blinking furiously, Dolores attempted to wave the light away whilst screaming in a toady voice for the light to disappear.

Only a few seconds later, the light evaporated; leaving three thick books on her table and a note which was a dark, Slytherin green and the handwriting on it was a beautiful silver (not as beautiful as pink though, Dolores thought). Picking up the note, Dolores read the elegant handwriting...

_Dear Dolores Umbridge,_

_I have heard about you troubles with Damian Potter in passing and have decided to write to you to help you unravel some secrets._

_These secrets; however are not about , but will tarnish the Potter reputation for life. These three books have factual information about James and Lily Potter's eldest son Harry Potter who the world believes to be dead; yet he is alive and hiding a dark secret._

_With the knowledge of these books, you could not only get dirt on Damian Potter, but possibly save the world and become and even higher place in the ministry. These books are all placed in the future, so it is your decision as whether to read on._

_It is your choice Dolores, the consequences fall into your hands. Signing the end of the note performs a binding contract where all of the matters are taken into yours hands; if you deny them after signing, you will be stripped of your powers and will forget about the Wizarding World. The choice is yours._

_Signed,_

_Anonymous_

_Sign here..._

Dolores smirked, and picked up the first book. On the cover was a masked person with a wand held out. At the top of the book if elegant letters it read _The Darkness Within_ yet there was no author.

Without thinking about the consequences, Dolores picked up her flamingo pink quill and dipped the nib into neon pink ink. She signed it with a flourish and allowed the golden light to perform a circle around her.

Retrieving her wand, she pointed it at her neck and announced "Sonorous. All staff and students please make their way to the Great Hall for an exciting announcement" Grinning with glee, she didn't notice the blonde haired, brown eyed face that faded into the office, but evaporated in merely seconds...

"Ugh, what does she want now," twelve year old Damian Potter complained to his friends Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley.

"Dunno, let's go see what The Toad wants," groaned Ron, standing up and stretching. He was followed by the other three people and they trudged towards the hall, all but Hermione whose posture remained upright and straight clearly stating IMPORTANT!

As they entered the hall they immediately knew something was wrong. The first clue was the fact that James Potter was they're scowling with all of the order members wearing either the same facial expressions as James or keeping their faces neutral.

The second clue was the fact that Dolores Umbitch was clutching three books in her stubby fingers with a mask of glee covering her face. More students entered, chatting casually or grumbling angrily.

"Hem, hem," Dolores coughed drawing her attention for many different reasons which would require the worlds amount of pink paper to write them, "Well, whilst in my office, I came across some interesting books which will help to tell the future. These books have the time period of over the next three years, I have taken it upon liberty to invite some guests such as Cornelius Fudge and many qualified Aurors and Ministry members. Now who would like to begin?" Dolores asked with a high-pitched girlish voice, strangely enough, everyone seemed interested in the books, so Albus Dumbledore stood up and offered to read.

James Potter sat next to his wife, the Aurors were in a huddle standing up and waiting impatiently. Ministry members looked towards Dumbledore with interest and Madame Bones was stationed at the end of the table with a peacock quill in her hand, which provided ink naturally, and some official Ministry notepaper.

The rest of Hogwarts waited patiently for Dolores to begin...

**AN: Creative J.K. Rowling, take Dolores Umbridge and turn it into real words.**

**Dolorous- meaning full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful**

**Umbrage- meaning offense; annoyance; displeasure**

**Isn't Rowling just a genius?**


	2. Chapter 1- Betrayal

**AN: This chapter was written by _saffarinda. _Enjoy_._**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, nor did I write _The Darkness Within._**

**'It really is creepy how much he looks like James.' thought Lily.**

Lily's breath caught in her throat. Harry… she thought longingly. That was Harry she was thinking about. Clutching James' arm, their eyes met and they knew that even though only the first sentence had been read they already had the most important question: why are we reading a book about our dead baby boy?

**Even at the age of one, Harry, her son had such similarities to his father. His hair was just as unruly as James'. She had always told her husband to do something about his hair but James would always flash a dazzling smile at her and continue to run his hand through his hair, making it messier.**

Damy frowned, confused. "Mum," he called up to her. She faced him with unnaturally bright eyes.

"Yes Damy," she called back gently.

"Who's Harry?" he asked, watching carefully for any clues. "You'll find out soon Damy," James said, his body rigid. Damy turned to his friends in confusion, who just shrugged; except Hermione. It was possible to see her frowning in concentration.

**'At least he has my eyes.' Lily thought thankfully as she looked down at the playing child in her lap. The emerald green of Harry's eyes made him look even more adorable. The raven haired child was currently sitting on his mother's lap, happily chewing on his toys and every so often he would look around at the door.**

**"Who are you looking for sweetie?" cooed Lily holding Harry close to her.**

**She knew perfectly well who Harry was looking for. It was the same every evening, around seven, Harry would eagerly anticipate his father's return from work. Of course for an ordinary one year old it was not possible to be able to determine the time but Harry was no ordinary boy. **

**For that matter neither were Harry's parents. Harry and his parents were a wizard family. James was a pureblood, while Lily came from a muggle family. Even so, she was one of the most talented witches of her generation.**

The OOTP smiled sadly at the memory of Harry. They had always found him extremely cute and playful. Whenever any female members of the OOTP saw Harry they cooed and fawned over him like crazy, and the male members taught him Quidditch and entertained him with magic. Though they would never admit it, Harry's death was the one that had hit them the hardest.

**As if on cue James arrived through the front door of the house looking a little dismayed, but at the sight of Harry and Lily, his hazel eyes lit up and a small smile graced his face.**

**"Hey, how's my little man?" asked James as he strode over to Lily and picked up Harry who was gurgling frantically to get his father's attention.**

**"James, how many times do I have to remind you? He is a boy not a man." Lily reprimanded playfully.**

**James just shrugged and replied, "Boy is so… I don't know. It just sounds weird, like I am telling him off. He's my 'little man'." He said, cuddling Harry affectionately.**

Damy turned to his father who looked distraught. '_So…'_ Damy thought_, ' is this my brother they've been hiding in the attic? Like in that muggle episode about those yellow people?'_

**Lily smiled at her husband. In her opinion James just didn't want to sound too fatherly since he was only twenty three years old.**

**Lily was just about to get up to get dinner when a knock interrupted them. James was instantly on alert. He silently handed Harry over to Lily and drew out his wand. He went over to the door and motioned Lily to go to the other room with Harry. Lily nodded and proceeded to the room quickly. Usually Lily wouldn't take an order from anyone, not even James, but ever since that wretched prophecy was made things had changed dramatically. **

**They had moved to Godric's Hollow and only a hand selected few knew where that was. Lily waited apprehensively, wand held in one hand while still carrying Harry. She would hex anyone that as much as cast a shadow over her only son.**

**She heard James mutter a spell that allowed him to see who was at the door. Suddenly the door was opened and Lily could hear laughing and a voice that she knew all too well. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She came out of her room and made her way downstairs. **

**Sure enough there were her husband's old friends, and Peter. Sirius had annoyed Lily senseless in her years at Hogwarts, always goofing around with James and getting him into all sorts of trouble. Of course, James wasn't exactly the innocent party but since Lily was now his wife she preferred to blame Sirius. Peter was always so quiet that Lily sometimes wondered what he was doing being a Marauder. **

**Remus was the only one Lily could have an intelligent conversation with. Unfortunately, he was not here tonight as he was having his little 'furry' problem as Sirius had so sensitively named his condition.**

Everyone turned to look at Sirius and Remus. Remus flushed and fidgeted uncomfortably whilst Sirius (always the sensitive one) bowed and wiped fake (or invisible, you never know with Padfoot) tears from his eyes.

Over at the Slytherin table, a 15 year old Draco Malfoy was frozen. His best friend… he thought frantically. This was a book about his best friend who was currently living with The Dark Lord who is feared by all. They want to take him away… Harry had told him about the abuse… shown him memories. Why do these Potters not sound so bad then? Draco decided to try and owl him when the first break came

**"You could let us know you're dropping by Padfoot." Lily remarked as she handed Harry over to his Godfather who enthusiastically reached over and cuddled him as close as he could.**

**"Where is the fun in that?" He enquired as he gave Harry his trademark bark like laugh.**

**Harry was already waving his arms around and giggling at Sirius and his antics. Lily looked on affectionately at her son; he really was fond of his Godfather. Peter was also looking on and Lily wasn't sure if she was just imagining it or not but a look of regret flickered on his face. An almost pained expression was evident in Peter's eyes.**

**"Peter, are you okay?" she asked putting a hand on his shoulder.**

**Peter quickly looked away and shifted a little uncomfortably.**

**"Yeah um…I just...just, had a long day...that's all..." he mumbled, looking positively sick.**

¾ of the marauders bared their teeth with Lily, growling like a furious dog (of course, Sirius' growl was the best).

Order members looked at them in pity; they knew that James took full responsibility. James thought they didn't know, but sadly, they did…

**"Don't talk to me about having long days." James joined in. "I have had the most supremely awful day."**

**"Oh, what happened?" Sirius quickly asked while still letting Harry pull on his shoulder length, dark locks.**

**"Well, with the attacks coming in left, right and centre, I don't know how much more we can take before it all goes pear shaped."**

**James had a sad look in his usual sparkly hazel eyes. James loved being an Auror even though he had admitted he had only become one since that was the career path Sirius had chosen but he quickly became very fond of his role as a fighter for the light side.**

Sirius turned to James and made fake tears well up in his eyes. "Oh, oh, oh Prongs, how-how HONOURED I am to actually have SOMEONE, follow in my career path." At that, Sirius burst into salty, fake tears concerning many of the female staff.

James grimaced at Sirius and pushed him to the side slightly, "Not the right time, Padfoot," James said, the grimace still in his voice. Pouting, Sirius sharply snapped his jaw shut and turned to face the front, "No one can take a joke right now," he pouted sulkily, the fake tears drying up and leaving a raw red rim around his eyes.

**However, after the prophecy was made about Harry, James was increasingly becoming more and more paranoid. He didn't like the idea of his child being faced with such a huge responsibility. 'Saving the World' that was his job, not Harry's. So James being James was working day and night to eliminate Voldemort's forces. However, this was becoming more and more stressful. Voldemort always seemed to be one step ahead of the Aurors.**

**Sirius looked a little disheartened by the look on his best friend's face.**

An emotion, which the present Sirius' face copied perfectly in precise detail.

**Sirius, Remus and James were Aurors, as was Peter but James was the one most focused on the war. He wanted it over and done with so that Harry could have a normal life.**

**Lily sighed and lifted the playing form of Harry from Sirius and gently rocking him, took him upstairs to his room. **

**There she gently placed him in his cot and smoothed his hair down in another futile attempt to make his hair seem somewhat tidy.**

**"You may think this is funny now, Harry, but trust me, when you're older you won't find settling your hair amusing at all." Lily told the small raven haired boy as he giggled and tried to grab his mother's fingers as she gently stroked his hair. Lily turned and left her boy playing happily in his cot.**

**She was just making her way downstairs when she suddenly realized with a sickening feeling that something was wrong.**

**It wasn't something she heard but in fact the lack of sound at all. The three men in the living room were deathly quiet. That in itself was odd since Sirius happened to be present. Lily quickly took out her wand and took a deep breath.**

**What she saw as she entered the room would haunt her for the rest of her life. There on the floor was the body of her James with a growing pool of blood near his head. A broken bottle of firewhiskey was lying not too far away. Sirius was also lying on his back completely unconscious.**

Tears began to shine in Lily's emerald eyes, "I swear to God if that EVER happens again I'm going to have a heart-attack," she murmured, shaking her head pitifully at her handsome husband.

**"Oh God!.. James!.. James!"**

**Lily rushed towards her husband, completely forgetting the third person who was in the room. If Lily had noticed him, standing just behind the door, she might have been able to stop the tragedy that was looming near. As Lily came towards James, Peter who was pointing his wand at Lily came up behind her and attacked before she could reach her husband.**

**"Stupefy" he whispered.**

**Lily fell, unconscious even before she hit the ground**

The marauders eyes had narrowed dangerously with Damien's. 'No one DARED mess with his Mum,' Damien thought, his rash Gryffindor temper attempting to consume him, but thankfully, Damien fought it.

**Peter looked at his former friends, all of them lying on the floor of their own home, hurt and betrayed by their own friend.**

**He took a shaky breath and tried to calm his frantically beating heart. He was certain that if he hadn't cast the silencing charm on the door then Lily would have been able to hear his heart thumping in his chest more loudly than the bottle breaking during the attack James and Sirius has so unrepentantly received.**

**He cast another regretful glance at his friends and then left the room clumsily and made his way to Harry's room; all the time repeating under his breath "Forgive me, Harry…sorry James…Sirius, so sorry."**

Silence… there was pure silence that filled the air of the Great Hall. Yet, It wasn't a peaceful silence. The silence felt raw and unprotected, not soothing and calm. The air was unnatural, unexpected. The marauders that were situated in the Great hall glanced at each other, each one's eyes holding different emotions.

Remus's eyes showed that he was unsettled; clearly Peter saying this was unnatural for him, he had never excepted this.

Sirius' eyes showed slight hate yet warm forgiveness. The two emotions swirled in his eyes, both showed an equal amount of emotion. The hate, that Peter had done this, yet the forgiveness that showed deep down he still cared for the old marauder.

James Potter looked helpless, like a lost puppy. True, he hated Peter, after all he was the one who stole Harry and brought him to Voldemort, effectively killing him. But, Peter was also sorry; therefore it wasn't a task that he had wanted to do. There was no pleasure for Peter in being part of the plan to kill Harry.

The silence flowed freely for a few minutes, everyone deep in thought before the book was continued.

**He had not thought he would get this far. He had hoped that James or Sirius or even Lily would have been able to stop him from doing this, but since they didn't expect him of any sort of betrayal, let alone an attack and kidnapping of Harry, he had managed this far. He didn't want to do this but there was no other way. The Dark Lord was very clear in his instructions.**

**Harry was going to meet his fate at the hands of Voldemort himself.**

**He slowly opened the door and found Harry sleeping soundly clutching his stuffed toy hippogriff. Peter looked down at the sleeping child and felt the horrible sensation of guilt wash over him. He was leading this child to his death. Harry was only a year old, he was just a baby.**

That was the last straw for Lily. She had kept up a strong appearance for her son Damien, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing freely. Lily soon collapsed into sobs as she was comforted by her husband and Minerva McGonagall.

Damien was alarmed, his Mum had never cried like this. Damien fidgeted uncomfortably before his eye's connected with Hermione's.

Hermione glanced at Lily before turning to Damien and shaking her head shortly.

Damien glanced at his sobbing Mum once more before settling down; Hermione obviously knew what she was doing so Damien would take her advice.

**Peter had felt just as happy at the birth of Harry as the rest of the Marauders, but once the prophecy had come to light things had changed. This boy was prophesised to bring down the Dark Lord. But for Peter, the Dark Lord had to win this war. Peter would have power beyond anything he could imagine. The boy had to go. Convincing himself that he was only ensuring his own survival, he gently lifted Harry and carried him out of the room, downstairs and without another glance at the three bodies lying on the floor, Peter opened the door and left Godric's Hollow forever.**

Draco Malfoy couldn't help but smile slightly. Harry was his only true friends, Crabbe and Goyle were bodyguards that didn't have a brain. Draco liked having a conversation with someone intelligent, Harry and himself were constantly joking and messing around. Harry trusted Draco, and Draco knew that and it gave him a warm feeling that he knew the true Dark Prince. Not the evil, cold hearted bastard that was shown slaughtering people; but the sarcastic, witty and sly person that was a very loyal friend.

**Peter ran to the edge of the wards placed around the cottage and apparated to his Lord's lair. His master was waiting for him, surrounded by only two members of his inner circle. With shaky hands Peter placed Harry on the stone floor at Lord Voldemort's feet. Harry was surprisingly still fast asleep and didn't even stir. Peter quickly dropped to his knees and crawled to Voldemort and kissed the hem of his robes while speaking in a shaky and quiet voice.**

**"Master, I have done what you asked of me. Master, this is Harry."**

Everyone's breaths hitched, this was the first time they would finally find out about Voldemort, the book was continued with the reader stuttering Voldemort's name.

**Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes to the sleeping child and let his face break into a satisfied smile. He was an attractive man **(Some people looked uncomfortable at that. It was true, but they would never admit it) **with long dark hair and features that had gotten him a lot of interest in his younger years. The only thing that showed the true monster within was his pair of devilishly red eyes which seem to burn into whoever dared to look at him. **

**He tore his eyes away from Harry and looked at the cowering form of his spy Death Eater.**

**"Rise Wormtail, You have done well. For once you have not messed up and have actually completed a task." He watched the pitiful man rise shakily, uttering his gratitude and go on and on about what a gracious Lord he was. "Enough!" Voldemort hissed, instantly quietening Peter.**

**"Bella, lift the boy and let me have a closer look at the brat!"**

Draco Malfoy was truly confused. The Dark Lord always seemed to show slight affection for Harry. Then it hit him in the face, the Dark Lord wasn't MEANT to care for Harry. At first he hated him, but as Harry grew up Voldemort had an underlying affection for him.

Smirking satisfactorily, Draco leaned back in his seat thinking. 'Alright, one mystery solved. Now how do I work out the other?'

**Bella came almost instantly to lift Harry of the cold floor and hold him up to the Dark Lord for him to see.**

**Voldemort took in all the detail of the child. He was disgusted with children in the whole. He had not quite forgotten how children had taunted and ridiculed him in that horrible orphanage that had been his past.**

This piqued the interest of many people. They had never known Voldemort was taunted and grew up in an orphanage; Albus Dumbledore however looked downcast and thought, 'If only Merope had survived, Tom may have not been who he is today.'

**However, this child had a powerful magical aura that seemed to hover all around the boy. He was exceptional, there was no doubt about that and if Voldemort had let the child live then the Potter brat would most likely be his downfall.**

**'Such a waste of power' thought Voldemort.**

**He drew his wand and heard the breaths sucked in by the Death Eaters present. He smiled to himself, this was going to be sweet and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.**

**He pointed the wand at Harry's head just as the child opened his emerald eyes and looked innocently at Voldemort. **

**There was a muttered incantation and a sudden blinding green light filled everyone's sight. Peter closed his eyes just before the spell was uttered, but could still sense the green penetrate his closed eyelids.**

**'Sorry Harry' was all he could think, as the blinding light faded and threw everyone into darkness once more.**

Women now sobbed freely, they were distraught that a baby was killed.

Draco's eyes were the size of saucers, Harry had survived the killing curse. 'Talk about a lot of power,' Draco thought, proud that his best friend had been able to survive the killing curse, yet slightly envious. Draco forcibly washed any envy away and placed on an impassive mask.

Umbridge gave a tinkling cough. 'Hem hem,' she attracted the attention of everyone. "Who would like to read next?" she asked sweetly. There was a pause before James lifted his hand.

Dolores stored over to him and handed him the book. Coughing, James began the next chapter…

**AN: ****I now have to work on my own chapters, might be awhile, might be a couple of days. Fair warning: I'm not the most consistent person on the planet, ideas are always appreciated.**

******~scrambledark**


	3. Chapter 2- The Dark Prince

**AN: Well, here we go. My 1****st**** chapter for this fanfic.**

**So, now I'm gonna apologize for the late update. First, my grandpa died; then, it was the holidays; and now, I've just finished exams, so hopefully I'll be updating more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP & didn't write **_**The Darkness Within.**_

Now Draco was seriously confused, this hadn't been the story he'd been told. _Hadn't Harry run away when he was 4? Which story was true? Is his friends life a lie?_

James wasn't entirely sure he wanted to read this. Oh, well. Here goes nothing.

**Lily sighed and put down the papers she was desperately trying to mark. Potions was a much more difficult subject than most people gave it credit for. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tired neck; she had been trying to get all the marking done before she retired to her bed for the night.**

**She glanced at her surroundings. Her staff quarter at Hogwarts was really homely, despite it being located in the dungeons. She had given the place a woman's touch by decorating the cement walls as best she could. Around her desk she had pictures of her family. She always felt more comfortable to be able to look up from her work and see the face of a loved one. She hardly got a chance to see James anymore. What with her teaching Potions and him out on Auror duty, and then they both were members of the Order of the Phoenix. This took up all of their time. Holidays were the only time she got to be with her family.**

James scooted closer to Lily, while she wondered how many of her personal thoughts would be displayed to the entire Hall.

Remus and Sirius looked towards their friends sympathetically, life wasn't kind to them.

**She would have worked for the Order full time if it wasn't for her son, Damien. He had started Hogwarts two years ago and she had taken up the post as the Potions professor as soon as it was offered to her. She knew Damien was going to complain that he couldn't get up to any mischief while his own mother was present but that had hardly been a reason for her not to take the job. She sighed again and took hold of his photo. It was taken only last year when Damien had been a first year. Unlike his older brother,** (_Older brother? Since when do I have an older brother? What happened to him?,_ Damien thought; his friends looked just as confused) **Damien was not a spitting image of James. He still had the black hair but it was not messy like James. He had James' eyes, deep hazel eyes that he always used to get out of trouble, again very much like his father. His features though were like Lily. He had his mother's nose, her mouth and even her smile. He had inherited her fiery temper as well. He was quite a mix of the two. Sirius had taken it on himself to turn Damien into a James rival at trouble making. Of course Damien was all too eager to learn from a Marauder.**

The Marauders and Damien smirked, this was all too true.

**Lily gazed at the picture of James and felt her heart ache with the pain of missing him. She had not seen him for the last two weeks. But that pain was nothing compared to the anguish which took hold of her every time she looked at the picture next to his. The picture had been taken only 3 days before he was….taken. Lily turned her emerald eyes to the portrait of her eldest son, Harry. He was giggling and pointing at her. Her heart constricted so painfully when she looked at her baby. She looked away from the picture and to the small calendar on her desk, the date today, May 31st. She felt her breath hitch in her chest. 'Two months' she thought 'two months exactly and he would have been sixteen years old, starting his sixth year at Hogwarts'.**

_Harry? _Damien glanced up at his parents. _What hadn't they told him?_

**She had always thought of Harry like this. It was difficult for James to talk to her every time she brought up the subject of Harry and what he would have been doing if he were alive. James had taken the emotional blow of losing a child much harder than had been expected. After all it was his friend that had stolen Harry from right under their roof and had handed him over to a monster. James had vowed to take revenge on both Peter and Voldemort for killing Harry. ** (_And I will,_ thought James.) **James had been lucky not to have been killed in the attempt that Peter had made. He had lost a lot of blood and the blow to his head had him knocked out for a whole fortnight. He had always blamed himself since he was not able to protect his son. It took him months to finally utter something other than 'I 'm sorry, Harry…forgive me son….couldn't protect you.'**

James' voice shook as he read that passage. The Marauders and Lily were all having a difficult time holding themselves together.

**Two years later, Damien's arrival gave James a second life. Only with Damien in his life did James become himself again. He was very protective of their second son, even more so than Lily. He still let Damien have his fun though, and even Lily had to admit that there was probably no other child quite as spoilt. Still, Damien was a good boy, and he never took too much for granted.**

Damien smiled at his parents, although he really just wanted to know what was going on.

**Lily tore her eyes away from Harry and rubbed them wearily. She got up and made her way to the small living quarter that held her four poster bed. She was just about to snuggle into her bed when a gentle tapping alerted her to the window. She looked out of her oval window and saw a small brown owl gazing at her. Lily smiled and rushed to the window to let the small creature in. The owl hooted happily and immediately stuck out his leg presenting a small scroll. Lily took it gratefully and didn't notice the owl taking flight immediately. Lily knew the letter was from James as he always sent ministry owls. She quickly tore the envelope open and started reading the letter.**

**Dear Lily**

**How are you honey? I hope you are keeping out of trouble. Which reminds me, how is our little troublemaker? Hope you're not keeping him in many detentions. Tell Damy that I have got the World Cup tickets and that we will definitely be going to watch it. Bulgaria and Ireland! So excited! Can't wait for it! But ahem… how are you keeping dear?**

_The World Cup? That's awesome, _both Damy and James thought.

**I will hopefully be coming this weekend to see you; maybe we can go to Hogsmeade when I'm over.**

**Take care sweetheart and give my love to Damy. **

**James.**

**Lily smiled and put the letter aside. James and Quidditch, there was just no separating the two. Damien would be pleased though, he had been going on about tickets to this game for the last three weeks. She knew that James supported Ireland while Sirius and Damien had always been Bulgaria fans.**

**'This ought to be interesting' Lily thought as she crept into her bed and pulled her covers up. She was so tired that she was instantly half asleep. Her last coherent thought was 'I wonder who Harry would've supported…'**

**xxx**

**In a darkened room, littered with various books and parchments sat a tall dark haired wizard. His blue eyes were fixed on the glass in his hand, as he sat on his sofa chair. He gazed at the amber liquid inside the glass as if expecting it to change colour. Truth was that he hardly noticed the liquid. His mind was distracted by another, very disturbing matter.**

_What's with the scene change? _That was the question on everybody's minds, well everybody's but Draco. All he was thinking was: _please don't talk about Harry, please don't talk about Harry, please don't talk about Harry._

**He knew what he was doing was dangerous, very dangerous. In fact, he was certain others thought he was out of his mind to try and pull such a stunt. Blackmailing the Dark Lord was not something to consider lightly. But he knew that if he succeeded in his task, he would have untold powers. He was already in Lord Voldemort's inner circle, part of the elite group of individuals. But the Dark Lord would give him whatever he wanted in exchange for him to keep quiet. He could very well be the most powerful Death Eater. It was worth the risk.**

**Jason Riley's hand shook as he thought again what he was risking. He brought the glass to his lips and downed the rest of his drink, hoping to drive the cold fear out of his chest.**

**Just as the empty glass touched the table, the lights flickered momentarily before going out altogether. The Death Eater sat frozen in his chair as the room was thrown into darkness. He clutched his wand tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white with the force he was using. Slowly he stood up, his eyes darting to all corners of the room.**

The room was filled with a tense silence, all wondering what was happening.

**"Lumos" he whispered and the end of his wand lit but the light was still not enough to be comforting.**

**Gripping his lit wand tightly in his hand, Jason Riley walked across the room, towards the door. He knew he had come. He was certain of it.**

_Who had come?_

**Jason opened the door slowly, his mind telling him he should not be this afraid. Standing at the threshold of his door, Jason waited to see if anything happened. He couldn't see anyone. He held his lit wand high above his head but he still couldn't see anyone.**

**Just as he walked out of the room, he felt it, the sudden change in the air around him. He could almost taste the magic in the air. He stopped where he was and stood still. Fighting down the panic, he spoke, without turning around to face his visitor.**

**"I was certain you were going to come." He said, speaking with his back turned.**

**"And yet, you still weren't prepared." came the reply.**

_Yup, it's Harry, _thought Draco, _well, crap. At least I get to see (well, hear) what he's like on a mission._

**Jason turned around slowly to face his visitor. He was trying his best to peer through the darkness to see him. He could just make out his silhouette.**

**"You are here to kill me?" Jason asked, fear pulsing through him.**

**The figure stepped forward so the light from Jason's wand could wash over him. Jason took in the appearance of the wizard standing before him. Clad in dark robes, face hidden behind a silver mask which only exposed the emerald green eyes, stood the one who all the Death Eaters had come to fear; the Dark Lord's son, the Dark Prince.**

Mutterings erupted around the room.

"Since when does the You-Know-Who have a son?"

"Who would have a kid with him?"

"It's probably not even his."

**"You betrayed Lord Voldemort. Your punishment is death." The words were spoken with a hiss of anger.**

**Jason noticed that although the boy before him was holding his wand, he wasn't pointing it at him. He tried to use this to his advantage.**

**"If you give me another chance, if you could only give me a chance to apologise. I didn't mean to…AVADA KEDAVRA!" Jason made a sudden move, firing the killing curse at his opponent.**

_Not a good move idiot,_ thought Draco.

**The silver masked wizard leapt out of the way, missing the jet of green light. Jason quickly took aim and tried once again to kill him.**

**Before the words left his mouth properly, his wand was suddenly wrenched from his hand. The force of the nonverbal disarming spell was so sudden and powerful, it caused the wand to be ripped away from him. The room was plunged into darkness once more as Jason's wand extinguished when it hit the floor.**

**The Death Eater took his chance and ducked low to avoid getting hit by any curses. He darted towards the staircase, keeping as low as possible.**

_You're not gonna make it,_ Draco smirked.

**He had raced down the stairs and darted towards the fireplace, aiming to floo out of here. He had only reached the bottom of the steps when he felt a spell zoom over the top of his head. He ducked instinctively. That was when he felt the tip of a wand press into the back of his neck.**

**"Up!" came the command and the Death Eater slowly rose to his feet.**

**He was a good three or four inches taller than the Dark Prince but that didn't comfort him in anyway.**

**"Please" Jason tried again.**

_Not gonna work,_ Draco new Harry didn't show mercy.

**The lights flickered on again and Jason found himself looking straight into a pair of startling green eyes, which to his dismay, had no pity in them.**

**"You're a traitor, and traitors only have one punishment." The Dark Prince hissed at him.**

**Before Jason could do anything a jet of green light struck him straight between the eyes and the Death Eater fell to the ground, dead.**

**The Dark Prince only took one look at the corpse beside his feet before turning around and leaving. His assignment completed.**

The room was tense.

"Who would like to read next?" asked Umbridge. "How about you Professor Potter?"

Lily looked nervous as she took the book from her husband. . .

**AN: So I'm gonna open a poll on my page. Should I or should I not bring Harry into this reading? I want your honest opinions. **

**Also, Gobbledegook (the Goblin's language) is an actual term.**

**It's actually spelled gobbledygook and is a type of doublespeak where one tries to confuse their audience with complicated words (typically used by politicians). It's funny 'cause Crouch speaks it, and he's a politician. Sneaky Rowling.**

**So you know, review, answer my poll, favorite, follow.**

**~scrambledark**


	4. Chapter 3- Killings

**Disclaimer: Don't own HP, Darkness Within, or 1****st**** two chapters.**

**AN: Well, here it is, thanks for the reviews, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda…**

**Terribly sorry for the wait…**

**Chapter 3- Killings **

Lily gulped.

**Lily was not amused. She had been looking forward to seeing James for over a fortnight now, and as soon as he had come, they both had not even been able to say two words to each other before Professor Dumbledore had requested an urgent Order meeting. James had not even been able to say hello to Damien yet. She sat with her arms crossed against her chest and was trying not to get her foul mood to show. Honestly, a couple of minutes with her husband were all she wanted, was that too much to ask?**

All eyes were on Lily.

_Honestly, _she thought, _how many of my thoughts are going to be made public?_

**Her thoughts were cut short when the room suddenly quieted down. James took his seat next to Lily and gently squeezed her hand. She looked up at him and gave him a half heartened smile. Looking around the room she saw all the familiar faces that were all looking tired and a little dishelved. There was the forever paranoid Mad-eye Moody, sitting next to Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. Tonks was clearly noticeable with her bubble gum pink hair. There was Remus and Sirius sitting next to James. Professor McGonagall and Snape were sitting near the front and were currently eyeing Professor Dumbledore with curious looks. Next to them were two empty seats that Lily tried to ignore. She didn't think she could bear thinking about them again. She looked around, there were other members also present that she was not very familiar with, and most were from the Ministry of Magic.**

**Her attention was drawn to the Headmaster who now stood in front of all the members. Albus Dumbledore was looking immensely tired and worn out, pretty much like everyone else. He cleared his throat and the already quiet room hushed into complete silence. He could see the expressions most were wearing; there were a few who looked annoyed at the last minute meeting while others were looking as if they were trying to prepare themselves for more tragic news. Dumbledore decided to share the reason for this meeting.**

The hall was listening with rapt attention.

**"Ladies, Gentlemen. Many thanks for being able to attend this meeting at such short notice. I am aware many of you had to cancel or rearrange your plans so I will not take much more of your time." Here he gave a significant look at Lily who seemed to blush and lower her gaze to her hands in her lap.**

**"It's okay, Lils, No one else noticed." Sirius joked to her.**

**Lily threw him a sharp look but didn't say anything.**

She did this again, and some snickering could be heard throughout the hall, lessening the tension slightly.

**"The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the strange occurrences these past few months." Dumbledore carried on. "As you all are aware, there have been a number of attacks on Death Eaters in the past few months. Many were killed; some were gravely injured, but purposely left alive. Many of these Death Eaters gave themselves to the Dementors of Azkaban ****_willingly_**** to save themselves from any other attacks. This shouldn't be a cause of worry but since neither the Ministry nor the Order has taken responsibility for carrying out these attacks, it leads to the question of the identity of this attacker."**

If anyone had been paying attention, they would have noticed Draco shifting, but they were all too busy whispering amongst themselves.

"That's so weird."

"I wonder who it could be."

Draco sat silent, he knew it was Harry.

**The room was silent, every eye was on Dumbledore.**

All eyes were on Lily.

**"The most recent attack was carried out last night. A Death Eater named Jason Riley was killed in his home. The Ministry claim not to be responsible and we know that the Order didn't do this. It leads to the question of who is tracking down these Death Eaters and killing them." Dumbledore finished sounding very worried.**

**"What does it matter? Whoever this is, they are killing Death Eaters. They are helping us. Why should this be a cause of worry?" Moody asked in his gruff voice.**

The majority of the hall mumbled their agreement, minus most of the Slytherins.

**A few murmured their agreement to Moody's statement.**

**"It is a cause of worry since we don't know who is doing this and for what reason." Dumbledore explained.**

**"Maybe there is another secret society formed. Like the Order, maybe someone has formed another group to fight against You-Know-Who and they are targeting Death Eaters." Tonks supplied.**

**"That is a possibility." Dumbledore inclined his head in her direction. "However, I think it would be wise to find out the truth of this matter as soon as possible."**

**Lily noticed that there was something Dumbledore was stopping himself from saying. She had spent a lot of time with Dumbledore, firstly as a student and then as an Order member and finally as a member of his staff, to see that the age old wizard was unsure of saying what was on his mind.**

**"Dumbledore, is there more?" she asked wondering if he had some more news.**

**Dumbledore looked at Lily and his blue eyes fixed to her as he struggled to say what was on his mind. With a sigh, he began.**

**"I have a suspicion, and at this point that is all it is, but from reading the case reports on the deaths of the Death Eaters, I think Voldemort may be responsible for the deaths."**

Draco shifted uncomfortably, the hall erupted into murmured conversations.

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know; did they upset him?"

"Maybe they were trying to leave?"

**There was a sudden intake of breath at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. Dumbledore gave a mental sigh. How many times had he told them that fear of a name was just plain silly. Voldemort wasn't going to appear if you said his name out loud.**

**"Why do you think that?" McGonagall asked, composing herself the best she could.**

**"As I have said, it is only a suspicion. What I do know for a fact is that if Voldemort's men had been targeted and killed like this, he would not be sitting back and allowing it to continue. From the reports we have, it doesn't suggest that Voldemort is planning anything to stop these killings. It seems he is actually happy with the demise of these men. It makes me think that maybe these men have wronged him in some way and so he has arranged to have them killed." Dumbledore finished.**

James couldn't help but agree with this statement.

**"But why would he want to kill his own men? It doesn't make sense." Remus asked.**

The hall murmured it's agreement to that statement.

**"I don't know. This is why I think it is a good idea to find out as much information as we can." Here Dumbledore turned to look at Snape.**

**"Severus, I have to ask you to try and find as much information as you can. I have a list of all the names of the deceased Death Eaters. See if you can find out what mission they were a part of before they died. See if they upset Voldemort in any way."**

**Dumbledore passed the parchment onto Snape who took it but didn't look at it. His dark eyes were fixed on Dumbledore.**

**"That is all for today. I thank you for your patience." Dumbledore finished with a polite nod at everyone.**

**James stood up from his chair as did the rest. His head was spinning with the news.**

**"What do you reckon?" Sirius asked. "Do you think it's another secret society or You-Know-Who has just decided he needs new followers?"**

**Lily sent him a glare but didn't comment.**

**"I don't know Padfoot. It does seem strange." James said.**

**"I'm with Moody. I don't think we should care who is killing them, as long as it's Death Eaters he's killing, we should be grateful." Sirius continued, walking his friend to the fireplace. He had nowhere to go as the Headquarters was his home.**

**James didn't say anything. He silently agreed with Dumbledore. If Voldemort was concerned about the death of his men, he would be doing something about it. The fact that he wasn't concerned could only mean that he was the one ordering the killings.**

The hall erupted into whispers.

"What do you think?"

"Why would he kill his own followers? That's insane!"

"It has to be someone else."

"But who?"

"Mr. Black," Umbitch smiled nastily, "would you like to read next?"

Sirius took the book…

**AN: So, so, so sorry about that wait! I have been super-duper busy with school (that's what I get for picking those classes) and then summer's been hectic, and will probably continue to be so, but I did warn you I would not be consistent. I'm am amazed that people keep following even though it's been so long since I updated, and I find it strange no one sent me a message to hurry up and update.**

**I did have a reviewer say that they wished I'd add more dialogue, and I tried, I really did, but this is that boring, just getting started part of the story that is difficult to write, I'll try to add more dialogue as the story goes on.**

**I also need to go back and re-read the original story, because it's kinda slipped my mind. I can also see why the last author gave it up, this is hard to write! If you have suggestions I would love to hear them, because I refuse to just completely give up on this piece.**

**Also, if I do bring Harry into this story it wouldn't be until after he was captured by the OOTP. So please respond to my poll. :)**

**~scrambledark**


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